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Shadowhall Academy #2
Ghost Story Society
Welcome back to Shadowhall Academy, where ghost stories come true. A brilliantly spooky series from the author of Aveline Jones.
It's the perfect night for a ghost story, don't you think?
As if Shadowhall Academy wasn't creepy enough, Lilian and her friends have started a Ghost Story Society. It's all harmless fun, until one girl warns of a sinister book hidden somewhere in the school that can bring your darkest secrets to life.
So when Lilian finds a mysterious book that seems like the one from the story, her friends warn her not to mess with dark magic. But she's never been one to resist an adventure. And when she writes her deepest secrets in the book, she unleashes a danger far worse than she could ever imagine...
It's the perfect night for a ghost story, don't you think?
As if Shadowhall Academy wasn't creepy enough, Lilian and her friends have started a Ghost Story Society. It's all harmless fun, until one girl warns of a sinister book hidden somewhere in the school that can bring your darkest secrets to life.
So when Lilian finds a mysterious book that seems like the one from the story, her friends warn her not to mess with dark magic. But she's never been one to resist an adventure. And when she writes her deepest secrets in the book, she unleashes a danger far worse than she could ever imagine...
175 pages, Paperback
Published February 13, 2025
6 people are currently reading
116 people want to read
About the author
Phil Hickes
18 books271 followersI live in Oregon at the moment, though I hail from the UK. Growing up in a house overlooking a graveyard, on the edge of the bleak and foreboding Pennine Hills, seems to have instilled in me an obsession with all things dark and spooky. The complete Aveline Jones trilogy is available at all good bookstores and has been, or will be, translated into Spanish, German, Czech, French, Turkish, Polish and Russian. My latest effort is called Shadowhall Academy and follows the spooky adventures of the Aunt Lilian character from the Aveline books as a young girl in the 1980s. I also have a dyslexia-friendly ghost story coming out with Barrington Stoke at Halloween this year.
Favourite authors include Robert Aickman, Stephen King (his early stuff), M R James, Susan Cooper, H P Lovecraft, Philip Pullman, Shirley Jackson, James Herbert, Lindsey Barraclough, Alan Garner, Neil Gaiman, Dennis Wheatley, Andrew Michael Hurley, Penelope Lively, Alan Moore, Mervyn Peake, Bernard Cornwell, Arthur Machen, Jane Austen, Cormac McCarthy, Roald Dahl, Jeanette Winterson, George R R Martin, Chris Priestley, Graham Joyce, Dan Rhodes, Robin Spriggs and many more.
Favourite authors include Robert Aickman, Stephen King (his early stuff), M R James, Susan Cooper, H P Lovecraft, Philip Pullman, Shirley Jackson, James Herbert, Lindsey Barraclough, Alan Garner, Neil Gaiman, Dennis Wheatley, Andrew Michael Hurley, Penelope Lively, Alan Moore, Mervyn Peake, Bernard Cornwell, Arthur Machen, Jane Austen, Cormac McCarthy, Roald Dahl, Jeanette Winterson, George R R Martin, Chris Priestley, Graham Joyce, Dan Rhodes, Robin Spriggs and many more.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
July 5, 2025
4.25 stars. If you're fan of spooky stories, look no more. This is not one of the tension-filled stories with supernatural scares that leads nowhere and has a anticlimactic "natural" ending. This is a properly witchy story with book filled with dark magic, scares along the way and a proper solution at the end that defeats the evil. Great read (not for the faint of heart!). Loved this book more than the first one.
October 31, 2025
Tardó mucho en ponerse spooky y emocionante. Las amistades es a lo que más importancia se le da, muy por encima de cualquier otro aspecto de la historia. Aunque me duela decirlo, me siento decepcionada.
May 5, 2025
Good scary staging with a bit rush ending.
May 15, 2025
i expected it to be more spooky and spectral (bc of the title) and not as much creepy but it was a fun, chilling read regardless
February 4, 2025
4.5
Give me a boarding school book and I will inevitably want to read it, add a bit of horror or supernatural fun to the mix and you know I will inhale it. Such was the case when I came across the pupils of Shadowhall Academy by luck last year and absolutely loved the spooky goings on and firm friendships found in that book. Thankfully book two in the series is no different and carries on being a massively fun read, with the perfect mix of mystery, friendship and spooky occurrences.
For a Middle Grade story there are suitably scary instances and you worry for, and care about our story's heroes! The story absolutely flew by and the ending had a great mix of humour, pathos, fear and true friendship. I really hope there's a third as this series has found its feet and I can't wait to see what our adventurous quartet get up to next.
Thank you to NetGalley and Usborne Publishing for a digital review copy of "Shadowhall Academy: Ghost Story Society" in exchange for my honest and voluntary review.
Give me a boarding school book and I will inevitably want to read it, add a bit of horror or supernatural fun to the mix and you know I will inhale it. Such was the case when I came across the pupils of Shadowhall Academy by luck last year and absolutely loved the spooky goings on and firm friendships found in that book. Thankfully book two in the series is no different and carries on being a massively fun read, with the perfect mix of mystery, friendship and spooky occurrences.
For a Middle Grade story there are suitably scary instances and you worry for, and care about our story's heroes! The story absolutely flew by and the ending had a great mix of humour, pathos, fear and true friendship. I really hope there's a third as this series has found its feet and I can't wait to see what our adventurous quartet get up to next.
Thank you to NetGalley and Usborne Publishing for a digital review copy of "Shadowhall Academy: Ghost Story Society" in exchange for my honest and voluntary review.
January 21, 2025
I haven't read the first Shadowhall book but was informed this would be ok. So the question was do I start reading Shadowhall Academy :Ghost Story Society at 9.30 at night....then I open the first page and it tells me Shadowhall Academy is set in Suffolk, England and it is 1988 - where I live! So ok here goes.
It's bedtime at Shadowhall - lights are out...when Lilian Jones appears followed by Serena Khan, Marion Dawson and Angela Radford. The four friends are creeping down the corridors knocking on doors from where more girls appear. They head to the library. Tonight is to be the first night of the Shadowhall Ghost Story Society.
Serena tells a story about her father when he was a small boy in India. It was about an evil spirit that mimics the voice of a loved one to lure children into the woods. The villagers realised Serena's father was being caught and saved him.
When Serena finished no-one seemed to have another story - but the door opens and a prefect, Tiffany Crenshaw, walks in. She says she'll overlook their late night meeting if she tells a story - about Shadowhall itself.
The story she tells is about a drama teacher called Mrs Kehoe who acquired a real Witch's Spellbook, the owner of the bookshop tried to warn her about it but she paid no attention. the spell book was for a production of Macbeth. But on the first night an accident happened and teh play was cancelled. All the girls in the play believed it was the book that had caused the accident. They had taken it from the props roomand it talked to them! Mrs Kehoe became ill and left the school soon after; no one knew what happened to the book.
The four girls decided they needed to find out if Tiffany's story was true. They started by talking to the drama teacher, and whilst looking in the props cupboard they discovered something else. Something under a trapdoor, that said "PROPERTY OF MRS KEHOE. DO NOT OPEN!" The girls decided to go back and look when Drama club was over. Angela was not keen. As well as the book there were props from teh Macbeth play and a lot of dried herbs. The book had a riddle, a riddle which told them this was a book of secrets. Inside their were lots of scraps of paper all with secrets on them. The girls read some of the secrets and then went to the Shadowhall Sentinal editor to see if any were true. They looked back at old copies and found stories of strange happenings at the school. One of the stories mentioned their teacher Miss McDougal so they went to talk to her. She remembered the strange boy in his pyjamas who had appeared suddenly in the grounds with no idea how he got their. Turned out he'd been missing for an hour...but that his house was 50 miles away! They never did find an explanation.
The girls now believed that if you put a secret in the book, magic would reveal it but not in a good way! They decide to try it out. Angela isn't happy, she wants it gone.
Lilian writes a secret....oh!
Serena writes a secret... oh no!
Marian writes a secret...oh no!
Lilian decides to put it back where it came from but it whispers to her...one more secret...
But this secret has a really bad result...really bad...and Lilian is going to have to find a way to sort it out before something awful happens.
Flipping brilliant.
I like that they are short books (169 pages). It's scary without being terrifying for a child. Perfect for Uks2. (I will say Phil's Aveline Jones books scared me!) I want this at school. For 10 and 11 year olds they do love a murder mystery so a bit of scary ghost story will be good too!
It's bedtime at Shadowhall - lights are out...when Lilian Jones appears followed by Serena Khan, Marion Dawson and Angela Radford. The four friends are creeping down the corridors knocking on doors from where more girls appear. They head to the library. Tonight is to be the first night of the Shadowhall Ghost Story Society.
Serena tells a story about her father when he was a small boy in India. It was about an evil spirit that mimics the voice of a loved one to lure children into the woods. The villagers realised Serena's father was being caught and saved him.
When Serena finished no-one seemed to have another story - but the door opens and a prefect, Tiffany Crenshaw, walks in. She says she'll overlook their late night meeting if she tells a story - about Shadowhall itself.
The story she tells is about a drama teacher called Mrs Kehoe who acquired a real Witch's Spellbook, the owner of the bookshop tried to warn her about it but she paid no attention. the spell book was for a production of Macbeth. But on the first night an accident happened and teh play was cancelled. All the girls in the play believed it was the book that had caused the accident. They had taken it from the props roomand it talked to them! Mrs Kehoe became ill and left the school soon after; no one knew what happened to the book.
The four girls decided they needed to find out if Tiffany's story was true. They started by talking to the drama teacher, and whilst looking in the props cupboard they discovered something else. Something under a trapdoor, that said "PROPERTY OF MRS KEHOE. DO NOT OPEN!" The girls decided to go back and look when Drama club was over. Angela was not keen. As well as the book there were props from teh Macbeth play and a lot of dried herbs. The book had a riddle, a riddle which told them this was a book of secrets. Inside their were lots of scraps of paper all with secrets on them. The girls read some of the secrets and then went to the Shadowhall Sentinal editor to see if any were true. They looked back at old copies and found stories of strange happenings at the school. One of the stories mentioned their teacher Miss McDougal so they went to talk to her. She remembered the strange boy in his pyjamas who had appeared suddenly in the grounds with no idea how he got their. Turned out he'd been missing for an hour...but that his house was 50 miles away! They never did find an explanation.
The girls now believed that if you put a secret in the book, magic would reveal it but not in a good way! They decide to try it out. Angela isn't happy, she wants it gone.
Lilian writes a secret....oh!
Serena writes a secret... oh no!
Marian writes a secret...oh no!
Lilian decides to put it back where it came from but it whispers to her...one more secret...
But this secret has a really bad result...really bad...and Lilian is going to have to find a way to sort it out before something awful happens.
Flipping brilliant.
I like that they are short books (169 pages). It's scary without being terrifying for a child. Perfect for Uks2. (I will say Phil's Aveline Jones books scared me!) I want this at school. For 10 and 11 year olds they do love a murder mystery so a bit of scary ghost story will be good too!
May 30, 2025
🌚What a mind-blowing, spine-chilling adventure it was! As soon as I became part of the Ghost Story Society at Shadowhall Academy, the goosebumps came galloping in waves.
🌚The Plot: We keep following a girl named Lilian Jones as she and her friends continue exploring the Shadowhall Academy—a place brimming with secrets. Together, they launch the Ghost Story Society, holding their mysterious meetings in the old library. Story by story, the girls stumble upon one extraordinary tale that leads them to the darkest mystery the Academy has ever known. It centers around a forbidden book—the Book of Secrets—that once belonged to a powerful witch and is said to be dangerous even to touch. Ignoring the warnings, the Society members plunge into a perilous adventure, unaware of the unexpected and possibly grave consequences that await.
🌚The Writing Style: I've read the trilogy about Aveline Jones by Phil Hickes and loved it so much. So, I dived into the new series without a single doubt and didn't regret a second. The first book impressed me deeply, and I was happy to dive into the second one at once. I read the second one in one sitting, and the aftertaste remained almost the same as the one after the first one. "The Ghost Story Society" turned out to be darker, creepier, more intense, and amazingly captivating. The ghost story is very cleverly written and kept me in suspense till the very end of this ghost story. It's dark and adventurous, illuminating and funny, spooky and chilling. It's written at lightning speed and is full of numerous twists and turns. Every single chapter is short and a big win that stimulates you to read non-stop till the end. I also truly adore how the author managed to include a slight thread of a detective element in this blood-freezing story. This book is also a captivating, wise, deep, funny, and creepy ghost story with an atmospheric, cozy mystery, solid friendship, and an adorable sense of humor.
🌚The Characters: Phil Hickes succeeded in creating the characters that seemed so real. They looked more like real people than fictional characters to me. All of them, the new one and the old one, were perfectly thought-out, vividly portrayed, and memorable. I'll live in the Academy and think about them long enough after finishing reading the book.
🌚The Fave Quote: "It was just that some secrets took longer to be revealed."
😊Would I read other books by this author? Can't wait!
✨My humble rating is: 5/5
🌚I sincerely hope you'll enjoy reading "Shadowhall. The Ghost Story Society" by Phil Hickes as much as I did.
🙏🏼Anyway, thank you so much for dropping by and reading this review.
📖Stay safe, take care, and happy reading.
🌚The Plot: We keep following a girl named Lilian Jones as she and her friends continue exploring the Shadowhall Academy—a place brimming with secrets. Together, they launch the Ghost Story Society, holding their mysterious meetings in the old library. Story by story, the girls stumble upon one extraordinary tale that leads them to the darkest mystery the Academy has ever known. It centers around a forbidden book—the Book of Secrets—that once belonged to a powerful witch and is said to be dangerous even to touch. Ignoring the warnings, the Society members plunge into a perilous adventure, unaware of the unexpected and possibly grave consequences that await.
🌚The Writing Style: I've read the trilogy about Aveline Jones by Phil Hickes and loved it so much. So, I dived into the new series without a single doubt and didn't regret a second. The first book impressed me deeply, and I was happy to dive into the second one at once. I read the second one in one sitting, and the aftertaste remained almost the same as the one after the first one. "The Ghost Story Society" turned out to be darker, creepier, more intense, and amazingly captivating. The ghost story is very cleverly written and kept me in suspense till the very end of this ghost story. It's dark and adventurous, illuminating and funny, spooky and chilling. It's written at lightning speed and is full of numerous twists and turns. Every single chapter is short and a big win that stimulates you to read non-stop till the end. I also truly adore how the author managed to include a slight thread of a detective element in this blood-freezing story. This book is also a captivating, wise, deep, funny, and creepy ghost story with an atmospheric, cozy mystery, solid friendship, and an adorable sense of humor.
🌚The Characters: Phil Hickes succeeded in creating the characters that seemed so real. They looked more like real people than fictional characters to me. All of them, the new one and the old one, were perfectly thought-out, vividly portrayed, and memorable. I'll live in the Academy and think about them long enough after finishing reading the book.
🌚The Fave Quote: "It was just that some secrets took longer to be revealed."
😊Would I read other books by this author? Can't wait!
✨My humble rating is: 5/5
🌚I sincerely hope you'll enjoy reading "Shadowhall. The Ghost Story Society" by Phil Hickes as much as I did.
🙏🏼Anyway, thank you so much for dropping by and reading this review.
📖Stay safe, take care, and happy reading.
March 12, 2025
After the ghoulish goings-on of the first in this series (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...), our boarding school girls have decided to create a ghost story-telling group. At their first meeting a prefect butts in, however, with news of her own ghastly legend to tell – the day a drama teacher tried to get the kids performing Macbeth with a real witch's book for a prop. It nearly killed someone, allegedly, it seemed to gasp for secrets off the schoolgirls, and the teacher went white overnight and vanished. If the book is in the school still – and chances are it is – it might still be dangerous. And chances are, that, yes – it is.
What is so good about this is that Lilian and friends are not girls en route to finding their witch-defeating destinies, they're really struggling to work out what is going on and how to react to it as regular, naive, real girls. Another benefit is how the witch's book seems to wilfully do the wrong thing, but in ways that seem clever, not purely evil. It tweaks the wishes of the humans that cross its path, in the way of an overly-literal genie. And I'll say just what I said about the first novel again – you can get really close to the end before being convinced this story will end between these covers. Whether's that's really a virtue I'm not sure.
For while this is a fine read, it may not be as distinctive as the original. The school is less of a character, for one – a lot of these pages the girls could be friends anywhere or anywhen and they'd be doing what they are here. That said, the drama club might have been more important to things, and I'd have not appreciated that. Again, mind, we get issues with descriptions – the box the book was found in may have been book-sized at first sight, but the second time we look at it it's full of no end of junk, which never gets mentioned again.
A second review in a row I'm nit-picking heavily, however. This is very much an enjoyable drama, and with the feel of a nasty-of-the-week TV movie, it provides very decent genre fun. It's dark, it's unpredictable – and Miss Sunshine is both of those things, making for a great character. It may not be as distinctive as the series opener, but it shows this set of books has sustained promise – and this being as short as it is provides for a concise, accomplished read.
What is so good about this is that Lilian and friends are not girls en route to finding their witch-defeating destinies, they're really struggling to work out what is going on and how to react to it as regular, naive, real girls. Another benefit is how the witch's book seems to wilfully do the wrong thing, but in ways that seem clever, not purely evil. It tweaks the wishes of the humans that cross its path, in the way of an overly-literal genie. And I'll say just what I said about the first novel again – you can get really close to the end before being convinced this story will end between these covers. Whether's that's really a virtue I'm not sure.
For while this is a fine read, it may not be as distinctive as the original. The school is less of a character, for one – a lot of these pages the girls could be friends anywhere or anywhen and they'd be doing what they are here. That said, the drama club might have been more important to things, and I'd have not appreciated that. Again, mind, we get issues with descriptions – the box the book was found in may have been book-sized at first sight, but the second time we look at it it's full of no end of junk, which never gets mentioned again.
A second review in a row I'm nit-picking heavily, however. This is very much an enjoyable drama, and with the feel of a nasty-of-the-week TV movie, it provides very decent genre fun. It's dark, it's unpredictable – and Miss Sunshine is both of those things, making for a great character. It may not be as distinctive as the series opener, but it shows this set of books has sustained promise – and this being as short as it is provides for a concise, accomplished read.
December 17, 2024
Received a free e-ARC via NetGalley in return for an unbiased review.
Another fabulous Phil Hickes story.
I am not usually a fan of scary stories but Phil Hickes does a fantastic job of writing spooky, atmospheric stories with plenty of suspense and heart stopping moments that don't leave me with nightmares. His Aveline Jones trilogy is brilliant and so are the Shadowhall Academy books. I had just finished the first when I saw this sequel was up for review and I leapt at the chance to read the next instalment.
This sequel is just as good as the first, for many of the same reasons. As well as the great writing I like that this is only around 170 pages. It makes it much more accessible for struggling readers, or just those who don't have much time to read. I like that it is set in a time period we don't often see in modern books (1980's) whilst still set in a boarding school which lends itself so well to late night excursions.
There was plenty of creeping horror as events escalated. I have to say I was a little surprised at some of Lillian's actions considering her character in the Aveline Jones books. (There may have been some mutters of 'No, no, what are you doing?!'). But her behaviour may well have been down to the nefarious influence a certain object. I suspect it is the events of the Shadowhall Academy series that shape future Aunt Lillian.
Will definitely by buying it for the school library and I look forward to the third instalment.
Another fabulous Phil Hickes story.
I am not usually a fan of scary stories but Phil Hickes does a fantastic job of writing spooky, atmospheric stories with plenty of suspense and heart stopping moments that don't leave me with nightmares. His Aveline Jones trilogy is brilliant and so are the Shadowhall Academy books. I had just finished the first when I saw this sequel was up for review and I leapt at the chance to read the next instalment.
This sequel is just as good as the first, for many of the same reasons. As well as the great writing I like that this is only around 170 pages. It makes it much more accessible for struggling readers, or just those who don't have much time to read. I like that it is set in a time period we don't often see in modern books (1980's) whilst still set in a boarding school which lends itself so well to late night excursions.
There was plenty of creeping horror as events escalated. I have to say I was a little surprised at some of Lillian's actions considering her character in the Aveline Jones books. (There may have been some mutters of 'No, no, what are you doing?!'). But her behaviour may well have been down to the nefarious influence a certain object. I suspect it is the events of the Shadowhall Academy series that shape future Aunt Lillian.
Will definitely by buying it for the school library and I look forward to the third instalment.
December 17, 2024
I absolutely loved the first book and the second was brilliant. Talk about being on the edge of your seat, deliciously spooky but striking the right balance for younger audiences. It was enough to spark the imagination and had the feel of an epic ghost story tale.
We join the gang as they begin meeting up on the dead of night to tell a spooky ghost story or two. What started out as a bit of fun turns into a twisting tale of terror! They hear rumour of an old witches book embroiled in magic and they can’t resist the urge to find out more. But what they find is enough to turn their lives into a waking nightmare….
Ooh, the story was so good and completely compelling. I was addicted from the start and read it in near one sitting as I couldn’t wait to see what would happen next! It’s perfect as a spooky read for younger readers (with parental permission and knowing the limits of your own child with their tolerance for scary stories). It was so enjoyable and again I can’t wait for the next instalment.
Thank you to the author and publisher for this book on NetGalley in return for my honest thoughts and review.
We join the gang as they begin meeting up on the dead of night to tell a spooky ghost story or two. What started out as a bit of fun turns into a twisting tale of terror! They hear rumour of an old witches book embroiled in magic and they can’t resist the urge to find out more. But what they find is enough to turn their lives into a waking nightmare….
Ooh, the story was so good and completely compelling. I was addicted from the start and read it in near one sitting as I couldn’t wait to see what would happen next! It’s perfect as a spooky read for younger readers (with parental permission and knowing the limits of your own child with their tolerance for scary stories). It was so enjoyable and again I can’t wait for the next instalment.
Thank you to the author and publisher for this book on NetGalley in return for my honest thoughts and review.
February 19, 2025
I absolutely loved The Whispering Walls, so when I saw there would be a second book, I knew I had to read it as soon as possible. I was lucky enough to receive an ARC.
Ghost Story Society begins with Lilian, Marian, Serena, and Angela sneaking out of their rooms to the library, where they’ve created a special club to share creepy stories. It’s all harmless fun—until Tiffany, an older girl, tells a tale about a haunted book supposedly hidden within their very school. Lilian, of course, becomes curious and convinces the others to uncover the truth behind the legend, leading them into a new eerie and thrilling adventure.
I loved every second of this book. The friendship between the girls is truly precious—I adored how they stick together and support one another. The mystery itself is fascinating: a book that makes secrets come true, but with a sinister twist. It kept me eagerly turning the pages to see how everything would unfold.
I honestly can’t wait for Lilian and the girls’ next adventure!
Thanks to NetGalley and Usborne Publishing for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Ghost Story Society begins with Lilian, Marian, Serena, and Angela sneaking out of their rooms to the library, where they’ve created a special club to share creepy stories. It’s all harmless fun—until Tiffany, an older girl, tells a tale about a haunted book supposedly hidden within their very school. Lilian, of course, becomes curious and convinces the others to uncover the truth behind the legend, leading them into a new eerie and thrilling adventure.
I loved every second of this book. The friendship between the girls is truly precious—I adored how they stick together and support one another. The mystery itself is fascinating: a book that makes secrets come true, but with a sinister twist. It kept me eagerly turning the pages to see how everything would unfold.
I honestly can’t wait for Lilian and the girls’ next adventure!
Thanks to NetGalley and Usborne Publishing for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
March 5, 2025
Anyone who has been around a while, will know i love @philhickes books, they spooky ooky, fun, and a great story line!
👻
Lillian Jones is back in her second book, with her dorm mates, and friends who start a secret Ghost Story Society, where they meet in the school library after lights out, to share Ghost stories.
It's all going well, and atmospheric, when a girl tells a story about a witches book, supposedly hidden in the school, that brings your secrets to life...
👻
I had to read this book in one sitting, as there was no way I was going to bed without knowing what happened. Nightmare fuel anyone?!
👻
If your a fan of Phils books, you'll love this, it's got a strong story line, loveable characters, and strange goings on, and the creepy supernatural aspect we've come to know, love, and admittedly, fear.
👻
👻
Lillian Jones is back in her second book, with her dorm mates, and friends who start a secret Ghost Story Society, where they meet in the school library after lights out, to share Ghost stories.
It's all going well, and atmospheric, when a girl tells a story about a witches book, supposedly hidden in the school, that brings your secrets to life...
👻
I had to read this book in one sitting, as there was no way I was going to bed without knowing what happened. Nightmare fuel anyone?!
👻
If your a fan of Phils books, you'll love this, it's got a strong story line, loveable characters, and strange goings on, and the creepy supernatural aspect we've come to know, love, and admittedly, fear.
👻
February 26, 2025
A wonderful horror/mystery story following Lilian and her friends at Shadowhall Academy. I found this book very well laid out with a clear plot that ties everything up perfectly at the end.
But enough of that, this was another brilliantly spooky by Phil Hickes. I think I've said this before, but I've not seen other middle grade horror novels that match Hickes's in terms of being creepy without being comical - this was something that let the Goosebumps books down that I read as a kid. The idea of the witch's book felt both familiar and refreshing, and it left me wondering what was going to come next.
But enough of that, this was another brilliantly spooky by Phil Hickes. I think I've said this before, but I've not seen other middle grade horror novels that match Hickes's in terms of being creepy without being comical - this was something that let the Goosebumps books down that I read as a kid. The idea of the witch's book felt both familiar and refreshing, and it left me wondering what was going to come next.
May 14, 2025
Well I had to read the next one! I couldn't leave it. Now I have to wait and see if there is another one coming! 😔
Lilian, Marian, Serena and Angela are back again but this time Angela is a little bitchy dare I say. I liked that she was coming out of her shell but wasn't keen on her blaming Lilian a lot. The girls hear a rumour of an old witches book that was owned by one of the previous Drama teachers. What ghostly happenings will start when the stumble across this magical book. Is there something sinister to come from it?
The story itself is great, the characters are fantastic. I wish there was a bit more of Mr Bullins though I really loved him in the last book.
Lilian, Marian, Serena and Angela are back again but this time Angela is a little bitchy dare I say. I liked that she was coming out of her shell but wasn't keen on her blaming Lilian a lot. The girls hear a rumour of an old witches book that was owned by one of the previous Drama teachers. What ghostly happenings will start when the stumble across this magical book. Is there something sinister to come from it?
The story itself is great, the characters are fantastic. I wish there was a bit more of Mr Bullins though I really loved him in the last book.
February 19, 2025
I just love Phil Hickes’ books so much!!
This one (much like the Aveline Jones series) seemed eerily atmospheric and had the perfect spooky story vibes for a night reading in the dark with the rain beating against the window.
This one (much like the Aveline Jones series) seemed eerily atmospheric and had the perfect spooky story vibes for a night reading in the dark with the rain beating against the window.
September 19, 2025
Another read with my son. A good enough story but not as compelling a topic as the first in the series. It felt a bit weak/ stereotypical and didn’t quite have the “atmosphere” of the first book but we still enjoyed it. 😊
April 1, 2025
Another spooky tale from Phil Hickes. I hope there are more to come.
June 28, 2025
This one is a very high 4, almost a 5.
I just love Phil's writing and storytelling and the girls of course!
I just love Phil's writing and storytelling and the girls of course!
September 23, 2025
another great book!!!
November 1, 2025
Actual rating: 3.5
April 14, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Phil Hickes is the master of Middle Grade Horror and no one can convince me otherwise! It’s got ghost stories, mystery elements, friendships and boarding school vibes so honestly what more can you ask for?! I’m loving this series and although I wish this one was longer I still absolutely loved it! I cannot wait to read more from Phil Hickes and highly recommend everything he’s written!
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Phil Hickes is the master of Middle Grade Horror and no one can convince me otherwise! It’s got ghost stories, mystery elements, friendships and boarding school vibes so honestly what more can you ask for?! I’m loving this series and although I wish this one was longer I still absolutely loved it! I cannot wait to read more from Phil Hickes and highly recommend everything he’s written!
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June 24, 2025
The newest book in the Shadowhall Academy series and this time a spooky book and a friendship on the line.
The newest ShadowHall Academy book and boy I was hyped for this one! I really loved the previous one and I was curious to see what would happen in this one!
👻 The Ghost Story Society was such a fun idea! Telling stories in the dark with snacks, pillow forts, and blankets. Oh, and did I mention sneaking away because it takes place in the library? That just adds an extra thrill to it all! I was curious what stories we would get and we got quite a few. I would love some more ghost story society meetings, hopefully there are even more in the next one!
👻 How one ghost story led our group of friends to the theatre and right into the jaws of that book. Yes, I would call it jaws, as that book loves secrets, but instead of keeping it secret it makes sure that it gets enacted in a twisted way. For instance if you confess your love on a note and stuff it in the book your love interest may just wander around at night. Or if you hate spiders? Well be sure to keep your mouth and nose closed because here are spiders. The book was such an interesting thing and I loved seeing what it did and how it worked. How even the cutest and sweetest secret got twisted and you never know what would happen next.
👻 I loved finding out more about the book, what shadows lurk around it, and how to defeat it. Because there are ways, but you need to really think and really be smart to deceive it.
👻 The secrets were pretty great, but it was Lillian’s last (and not entirely conscious) secret that truly made the book super scary for me. Especially seeing how far that secret would go and what it did. I also loved finding out more about that secret and see that Lillian wonders how well she knows her own memories.
👻 The cover is just A-plus, it just encapsulates the story perfectly. Especially after reading you are like, OMG, yes!
👻 The friendship between the girls. Which threatens to break due to Lillian, but I loved that this is a strong friendship and even when things get rocky they stick together.
👻 The boarding school setting along with it being horror. I already love boarding school settings and add to that horror, perfect. Oh, and I love that this one takes place 1980-1995-ish instead of what most boarding books are (1900-1945).
🤔 I just had some issues with Lillian in this one. While I get that she wasn’t entirely conscious of her decision, I still didn’t like it. I wish she had been honest about things right from the start. Plus, there were other moments that Lillian choose the book/the adventure it brought over her friendship and their safety.
But all in all, I would highly recommend this one, I read 95% of it in one go, it was just that good. I cannot wait to see what will be next for our friends!
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
The newest ShadowHall Academy book and boy I was hyped for this one! I really loved the previous one and I was curious to see what would happen in this one!
👻 The Ghost Story Society was such a fun idea! Telling stories in the dark with snacks, pillow forts, and blankets. Oh, and did I mention sneaking away because it takes place in the library? That just adds an extra thrill to it all! I was curious what stories we would get and we got quite a few. I would love some more ghost story society meetings, hopefully there are even more in the next one!
👻 How one ghost story led our group of friends to the theatre and right into the jaws of that book. Yes, I would call it jaws, as that book loves secrets, but instead of keeping it secret it makes sure that it gets enacted in a twisted way. For instance if you confess your love on a note and stuff it in the book your love interest may just wander around at night. Or if you hate spiders? Well be sure to keep your mouth and nose closed because here are spiders. The book was such an interesting thing and I loved seeing what it did and how it worked. How even the cutest and sweetest secret got twisted and you never know what would happen next.
👻 I loved finding out more about the book, what shadows lurk around it, and how to defeat it. Because there are ways, but you need to really think and really be smart to deceive it.
👻 The secrets were pretty great, but it was Lillian’s last (and not entirely conscious) secret that truly made the book super scary for me. Especially seeing how far that secret would go and what it did. I also loved finding out more about that secret and see that Lillian wonders how well she knows her own memories.
👻 The cover is just A-plus, it just encapsulates the story perfectly. Especially after reading you are like, OMG, yes!
👻 The friendship between the girls. Which threatens to break due to Lillian, but I loved that this is a strong friendship and even when things get rocky they stick together.
👻 The boarding school setting along with it being horror. I already love boarding school settings and add to that horror, perfect. Oh, and I love that this one takes place 1980-1995-ish instead of what most boarding books are (1900-1945).
🤔 I just had some issues with Lillian in this one. While I get that she wasn’t entirely conscious of her decision, I still didn’t like it. I wish she had been honest about things right from the start. Plus, there were other moments that Lillian choose the book/the adventure it brought over her friendship and their safety.
But all in all, I would highly recommend this one, I read 95% of it in one go, it was just that good. I cannot wait to see what will be next for our friends!
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
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